It is well known to provide a solid electrical connection between a high voltage source and a spark plug installed in an internal combustion engine, by way of a wire or the like. These electrical connections must withstand extreme environments such as vibration and high engine temperatures. However, such conventional electrical connections generally do not accommodate a spark plug assembly when it incorporates a pressure sensor. Notwithstanding this generalization, such an assembly including a connection where a pressure sensor is present is known and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,667 entitled “INTEGRATED SPARK PLUG IGNITION COIL WITH PRESSURE SENSOR FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE” issued to Boyer et al.
Boyer et al. disclose an integrated spark plug/ignition coil assembly with a pressure sensor for generating a signal indicative of a cylinder pressure in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine. The disclosed approach, however, requires additional electrical wiring to connect the pressure sensor to a connector of the integrated assembly for transmission of the pressure signal to an external control. This approach does not allow the spark plug to be easily separable from the ignition coil, impairing maintenance/repair.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a reliable electrical connection interface between a pressure sensor and an external connector of the overall spark plug/ignition coil assembly. The electrical connection would allow the ignition coil portion to be separable from the spark plug/pressure sensor portion, thereby allowing for serviceability and ease of attachment of the ignition coil to the spark plug/pressure sensor portion. It would also be desirable to provide an electrical connection that can provide electrical connectivity regardless of the angular orientation of the spark plug/pressure sensor portion relative to the ignition coil portion.
There is therefore a need for an electrical connection system that overcomes one or more of the problems set forth above.